Coming back from a devastating injury, it comes as no surprise that the transition back to playing NBA basketball was going to be tough for Taylor Hendricks. Making it harder, though, is that he hadn't proven much before he broke his leg. Because of that, the Utah Jazz's nightmare scenario of not seeing much production out of him is now very much a reality.
The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen explained Hendricks' underwhelming season, while also noting that the Jazz themselves were more or less anticipating this.
"Taylor Hendricks, now in his third year, has a VORP of 0.0 (it's now minus-0.1 since last night, per Basketball-Reference). He’s actually a rather different player than advertised in the draft: Right now, his main value is making the open three, while he’s showing nearly no help-side defensive value whatsoever.
"Troublingly, he looks relatively slow and unathletic at this point — and we don’t know if that’s because of the natural course of recovery from his broken leg, athleticism he’s permanently lost, or a result of the massive bulk he’s put on in the last two years. The Jazz went into this season prepared to largely write off the first half of the season for Hendricks, knowing the sheer severity of what he was coming back from, and they will indeed have to do that," Larsen wrote.
Hendricks had shown flashes of the player the Jazz had in mind, but that leg injury really messed so much up. The bottom line is that when an NBA player suffers such a debilitating injury - and in such an odd fashion - it makes the recovery a long one and not just physically. They have to psychologically recover to gain their confidence back as a player, and that takes longer.
Gordon Hayward went through this, but the difference between him and Hendricks is that the former proved how good he was before his leg injury. Hendricks was a raw player who hadn't been much of a proven commodity.
Utah knows they have to be patient but for how long?
Hendricks has got one more year left on his rookie deal. The time between now and when next season should be long enough for him to psychologically get past it. However, things are expected to be different in the sense that the Jazz will start trying.
Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George are a dynamic duo they know they have to build around. Walker Kessler will probably be back. Ace Bailey will need more to prove himself as a future franchise cornerstone. All of it points to that making the playoffs is the goal.
However, Utah can't develop everyone. If a player does not fit as the Jazz try to make some noise, they're gone. Hendricks has a season and a half to prove he's a keeper. It's very possible that that time may never come for him in Utah, and it's not fair with what he's been through, but this is the harsh reality of being in the NBA.
Everyone's rooting for him, but it will only be for so long.